Happily Ever After
by Sinisterhug
Summary: Estelle and Rita have finished their fairy tale romance, but that doesn't mean that they don't have more stories to tell. A sequel that takes place after the events of Together! Rita x Estelle / Ristelle, Contains yuri
1. The Nightmare!

Author's Note:

Hi everyone, this is actually a pseudo-sequel to my first Ristelle fiction, Together! You don't really have to read it first, but this will spoil it, and if you enjoy this, Together! is just more of the same sort of thing. The general premise is they're married and adopted a child. This is just a side project too, and not really a connected story or something I'm going to focus on. It's just a collection of little, mostly unrelated stories that take place after the end of Together! So, without further ado, please enjoy!

* * *

**The Nightmare!**

Rita shut her eyes and relaxed, letting Estelle's strong firm hands dig into her shoulders.

_'So good.'_

The princess made rolling motions with her thumbs and gently soothed away the stress and ache of a long day. Her eyes opened slightly, taking in the soft gentle glow of the candles and incense, overpowering the gentle streaks of moonlight coming through the drawn curtains. Estelle was leaning against the headboard of their bed with Rita leaning against her.

It seemed like Rita's work kept multiplying; it was one of the drawbacks of success, there was always so much to do. The witch had found that since she got her 'happy ending' that her lift kept getting busier and busier. But it certainly felt good to come back home everyday to her loving wife.

The mage smiled slightly.

_'I guess it's been awhile–' _she quickly thought, turning her head slowly, letting her eyes meet with Estelle's.

Rita's smile widened and her skin grew flush when she saw the sultry expression that Estelle had. The princess's hand halted their motions, and then slid down and encircled the witch's stomach. The two slowly let themselves draw closer until their lips were just a hairsbreadth from touching–

A sudden knock at the door caused them to both draw back. Rita released a sigh as they spread apart, but then smiled as she watched the princess closely.

"Come in," Estelle said gently.

The door cracked open and a small brunette child peeked her head in. Her little eyes were puffy and red, peeking out from behind the ears of the stuffed rabbit that she was clutching onto with both of her little arms.

"Aww, come here Susie," Estelle quickly called out.

The little girl took a few apprehensive steps in, before pausing again. "Um, is it alright Rita?"

The witch smiled, nodded, and moved out of the way. She took her usual spot next to Estelle, as the little girl quickly walked up to the bed. Their royal mattress was high and fluffy, so the little girl threw the stuffed animal up first before trying to crawl her way on. Rita admired the motherly and adorable expression Estelle had as she reached down and helped their daughter into the bed, letting her rest between her legs, in the spot Rita was in moments before.

"Mommy, I had a nightmare," the girl said as she grabbed and clutched her stuffed animal again. The girl started sobbing again.

"Don't worry, everything is okay. Tell me what happened," Estelle smiled down at the little girl.

"Well– well– you, Rita and me were in the garden and– and then big wolves showed up and then pulled you both away– and I was all alone."

Estelle grabbed her daughter, turned her around, and pulled her tight against her chest. There were tears in her eyes as she glanced over at Rita, whose eyes were starting to well up too. The two had found out from Gauche that the girl had lost both her parents when their merchant caravan was attacked by monsters. The girl was too young to really remember, but apparently the event still clung to her subconscious.

"You are going to be fine. We will always be safe here; there are knights and magic keeping the monsters away."

"It's not magic–," Rita started to comment before Estelle interrupted her with a quick glare.

The princess just started to rub the back of Susie's head. "Everything is fine. You can stay with us tonight, you don't have to worry, we will be here when you wake up."

Estelle started to hum a little lullaby and rocked their daughter until her sobs stopped and her breath slowed. She gently laid the girl down between her and Rita and then cuddled up behind her.

_'She's such a good mother. I wish I could be like that, even a little.'_

The princess smiled as Rita gently rose out of the bed and blew out all of the candles, leaving the gentle moonlight as the only source of light in their bedroom. The witch slowly slid between their sheets, being careful not to wake their daughter.

It was still shocking to her; they had a daughter. A daughter who had been alive longer than they had actually been in a relationship. The little girl rested gently between them, tucked close against Estelle's chest with an angelic expression of peace.

Rita closed her eyes and slowed down her breathing, but stayed awake. After a few minutes, the witch cracked an eye openly slowly and cautiously. Her wife was breathing gently, with the usual soft smile she held while she slept. Rita opened both her eyes and moved a little, checking to see if the princess stirred.

Confident that Estelle was asleep, she sat up and reached a hand out. She gently brushed Susie's hair behind her ear. Then, she let her hand rest gently on the girl's cheek, and smiled shyly as her daughter unconsciously snuggled into the warm palm. The little girl gently cooed quietly, causing Rita's smile to widen and her cheeks to grow blush.

Cautiously glancing up to make sure Estelle was still sound asleep, she slowly leaned downward, craned her neck and, lightly kissed her daughter's forehead. She pulled back and blushed harder when she heard a giggle.

Estelle still appeared to be asleep, but Rita just glared at her. "I heard that."

The princess opened her eyes with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I just wanted to see you do it, so I pretended to be asleep."

Holding a pout, Rita glared at her wife. Estelle continued to look apologetic as she sat up and reached a hand out, gently placing it on Rita's shoulder. "Why do you pretend like you don't love her?"

Rita blushed and stammered. "I d-don't do that. O-of course I love her."

The princess looked at her concerned. "But she doesn't know that."

"It's embarrassing, I guess. You know how I am, it's hard for me– expressing love."

Estelle's eyes drew closed as her wife just stared at her. "But you're going to have to get over it, and it cannot take six years this time. I don't want our daughter to be a teenager before she knows both of her mothers love her."

Rita just looked downcast. "I can try."

The princess shook her head and glared at the witch. "You are going to have to do more than try. You don't want her to always call you Rita, do you?"

Her expression softened as Rita's head dropped. Estelle reached a hand out and lifted Rita's face by her chin. When she saw her wife was crying, she lifted her hand up and started to wipe away the tear-streaks with her thumb.

"I– I don't think I'm cut out to be a mother. I see you, and how maternal and kind you can be, and it makes me think about how I'll never be like that. I still can't kiss you in front of her, how am I supposed to kiss her? Sometimes I think I wasn't ready for this at all."

Estelle wanted to pull her wife into a firm hug but their sleeping daughter lay between them, so she settled for resting her forehead against Rita's.

"Rita, I know you can do this, and you don't need to worry about being a good mother. You don't have to be maternal; you just have to be– a loving parent."

Slowing her sobs, Rita opened her eyes and looked right into Estelle's. "You were going to say father weren't you."

A nervous laugh escaped from the princess. "Of course not–,"

"Yeah right." Rita turned extremely red. "I know that you're already a good mother for her, but I want to be too. I wish I could be that loving; hug her and kiss her and make sure she feel safe and loved in my arms." She started to cry again.

Estelle smiled lightly, kissing Rita's cheek before pulling away.

"Just admitting that is the first step to changing. You can do it Rita." Estelle gently put her hand on Rita's shoulder. The witch looked up into the princess's eyes. The expression was gentle and loving, yet confident.

"I will." The witch calmed down and smiled slightly, still distressed. Rita leaned forward and kissed Estelle. "Good night, and thanks; you always make me feel better. I love you."

"I love you too. Tomorrow is a new day, how about you trying giving her a hug, while she's awake?"

"I will. I can do this."

Rita leaned down and kissed her daughter again, "Sleep tight, little angel."

Both laid back down, resting up for another day of their happy life together.

* * *

Author's note, V.2.: So I hope you enjoyed this, there will probably be more, but it won't be frequent. It's just an outlet for some fluff while I write other, more serious things; otherwise it sort of leaks out uncontrollably into everything. Which is bad. Or good, depending on how you look at it. I've also started to revise Together! so that the grammar is better, and the editing conventions between my stories is more consistent.


	2. Cake!

**Cake!**

Estelle leaned up and kissed Rita.

"Bye dear."

The witch sighed. "Do you really have to work on your birthday?"

Running a hand through Rita's hair, the princess smiled gently at her.

"Sorry, I do. They're discussing an important tax matter, I have to go."

"Fine, I'll miss you. We can have a special evening, right?"

The princess nodded and smiled. She once again leaned forward and kissed her wife. "Of course, I'll see you tonight. Susie is taking a nap, I figured we should give her a day off."

Rita nodded. The two took turns homeschooling the girl; Estelle covered most the subjects but Rita taught her math and science.

Estelle left out the door. Rita nervously rubbed her foot on the ground for a moment. She walked over to her bedroom and carefully examined her bookshelf. The witch pulled out a book titled 'The Advanced Mathematics of Flow Rate in Piping.'

It was a book she knew Estelle would never open; she carefully flipped it open and pulled out a small, folded up sheet of parchment. She glanced in both directions before carefully unfolding it. The witch absentmindedly walked to the kitchen while reading the paper.

She stood at the counter, continuing to carefully examine the parchment. Her face flushed red when there was a tugging on the leg of her pants. She looked down and saw Susie, holding her stuffed rabbit by the hand.

"Rita? What are you doing?"

"Nothing," she quickly responded, putting the paper behind her back.

"Mommy said you're not allowed in the kitchen."

Rita winced; even her daughter knew she couldn't cook. But this was a special occasion. She looked down at the little girl.

"Do you know what today is?"

Her daughter shook her head. "Well, it's Mommy's birthday."

Susie smiled excitedly. "Really?"

"Yeah, so I wanted to bake her a cake. Do you want to help your mom bake a cake?"

Rita smiled down at the little girl; she had been subtly trying to mention that she was Susie's mom in hopes that the girl would eventually call her that. It hadn't worked so far.

"I want to help, Rita!"

The witch smiled disheartened and lifted her daughter up onto the counter. Susie propped her bunny against the wall and sat cross-legged. "Mommy said I'm not allowed on the counter."

"Oh, it'll be fine," Rita waved her off, "okay, let's get started."

The witch put the paper down on the counter. "How hard can this be, it's just following instructions right?"

Susie nodded and giggled. Rita paused, then tousled the cute little girl's hair. She couldn't help it; Rita at least felt more comfortable showing some affection, but still couldn't hug or kiss the girl while she was awake.

"So, first is the flour."

Rita pulled the bag out of a cupboard along with a large mixing bowl. She was off-center holding the heavy bag, so she flopped it down onto the counter. She put the bowl down in front of Susie and started to tilt the bag towards it.

"Mommy measures it first."

Blinking, Rita looked at her daughter. "Please, I'm a scientist. I can just–,"

Rita strained, lifting the bag up and tilting it. A massive clump of flour dropped out causing a white dust cloud to fill the room. When Rita opened her eyes, there was a thin white film of powder covering the room.

"–eyeball it."

Her daughter was completely white, then cracked her turquoise eyes open. Rita laughed a little. Susie glanced up and started to giggle. The witch's laugh escalated and before long both were cracking up. Once she calmed down, she grabbed a towel and started to wipe her daughter off. She still looked messy, but was smiling widely.

"Alright, uh, what does mommy do?"

Susie looked around the room, pointing at a drawer. "She scoops it with the cups in there."

Rita nodded and smiled, going into the drawer. She saw it was filled with little measuring cups and spoons. She grabbed everything and went back over.

"Okay." Rita scooped out the right amount of flour, salt, and baking powder. "Can you mix this Susie?"

"Uh-huh," the little girl responded, grabbing the bowl. Rita handed her a spoon, and the little girl started to mix it. Her daughter started humming and tilting her head from side to side in rhythm. Rita smiled shyly.

_'She's so cute!' _Rita felt herself starting to shake. _'I want to hug her so bad, why can't I just do it!'_

She ended up putting a hand down on the girls head and smiling at her. Susie smiled back.

Releasing her, Rita glanced down at the paper again. She put butter and sugar together into a different bowl, and started to whisk. She started to move for the eggs.

"Mommy makes it creamier."

Rita stopped, smiling at her daughter again, and continued to whisk the mixture. A few minutes later, she started to add the eggs; she felt a little confident because Susie hadn't mentioned anything.

"Okay, I guess we mix these together with milk."

Susie nodded and Rita began the process of forming the final batter. Once it was fully mixed, Rita was holding up the bowl. "Okay, we need to put it into two round pans…"

Rita turned without looking started to walk to where the pans were stored. She bumped into a drawer she had left open and fell to the ground, letting the bowl fly through the air. Rita stood up, slammed the drawer shut, and turned around.

Her daughter had the bowl on her head, and the batter was slowly dripping down. Susie lifted the bowl off, then wiped the cake batter from her eyes. When she opened them, Rita started to laugh again. "Sorry Susie."

Susie started to laugh, "let's do it again."

Rita waved her hand. "No it's fine." She walked over and picked the messy girl up. "We just need to put it in the oven now."

"No, Rita, don't!"

The witch laughed. "You've heard Mommy call me a witch right? I used to eat little children like you!"

Her daughter was laughing and struggling against her. Rita, thoroughly covered in batter too, sat Susie back on the counter. She smiled shyly at the girl, who smiled shyly back.

Rita could feel herself struggling once again, but this time she grabbed the little girl into a tight hug. "I love you."

Susie blinked a few times, before trying to wrap around her and hugging her back. "I love you too, Rita."

The witch was smiling but still let out a sigh. Her daughter pulled back and looked up at her.

"Um, w-would it b-be alright," Susie started, blushing and stuttering, "if I called you Mom?"

Rita felt her emotions welling up; she couldn't control herself. She was confident that no one could question that this was her daughter.

"Of course! I love, love, love you!"

Susie giggled as her mom descended down and started to repeatedly kiss the top of her batter-covered head. "Let's start a new cake. Mommy will love it."  
"Okay, Mom," the girl responded, smiling shyly.

The two started to bake another cake.

* * *

"Hello, I got off early!" Estelle called, walking into their home. She curiously glanced around the rooms. When she finally walked into the kitchen, she laughed and smiled.

Everything was a mess, there was batter on the counters and cupboards. Her wife and daughter were sleeping, leaning against the oven. They were covered in dried batter, sleeping peacefully. Above them, sitting on the top of the oven, was a little round cake. She walked over and saw it was covered in pink frosting and had _Happy Birthday!_ on it, written in the messy handwriting of a child. When Estelle giggled, Susie stirred and looked up at her.

"Mom, Mommy is here!" she shouted, trying to shake Rita.

Rita stirred and smiled. "Oh, Estelle! I-I was going to clean up."

"It's okay."

"Happy birthday Mommy!"

"Thanks Susie."

Rita lifted her daughter onto her feet. "Go get yourself cleaned up."

The little girl nodded and left for the restroom. Alone, Estelle walked over and helped Rita up off of the ground. "I really am going to clean it, sorry."

"It's okay. Did I hear her call you mom?"

Rita nodded and smiled, starting to well up. "She did. She did!" she called out, clinging onto Estelle and smiling widely, tears starting to flow down her eyes.

"Congratulations. Go get cleaned up too, you're getting batter on me." Estelle commanded with a chuckle.

Rita nodded, then left too.

Estelle smiled. "What a nice birthday."


	3. The Mysterious Miss Rabbit!

**The Mysterious Miss Rabbit!**

Rita gently and quietly cracked open the door to her home; she was aware that it was Susie's nap time. The witch peeled off her shoes and then padded lightly to her room. She silently peeked in to find her wife quietly writing at their desk.

The gentle footfalls didn't make enough noise to disturb the pink-haired princess. Estelle jumped slightly when a pair of thin, warm arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind. A gentle kiss was planted on the top of her head, eliciting a bright smile.

"Welcome home, dear," Estelle whispered, before dropping her head and planting a kiss onto Rita's forearm. The princess turned and pointed back at their bed; the witch turned to see Susie resting on their bed, snuggling with her stuffed rabbit.

"Estelle, why is she in our bed?" Rita asked with a disappointed tone. She released her wife.

The princess pouted a little, before standing and walking over to their large mattress. She gently laid a hand on their daughter's cheek.

"Well, I was reading her a story, and she fell asleep."

Rita blushed a little; she gestured for Estelle to follow her out of the bedroom. Susie didn't stir as the two exited. The witch carefully shut the door behind them.

"What is–,"

The princess was interrupted as Rita pulled her into a deep kiss. Estelle's mouth shifted into a smile without breaking away from her love. At this point, Estelle was experienced and smart, so she dropped her head down a little. As expected, the witch followed her down, so the princess took advantage of the slight opening to slip her tongue into her wife's mouth.

Rita's arms gripped tighter around Estelle, eagerly returning the attention. After a long while, the split apart.

"Estelle, it's been too long since we– you know."

"It's only been a few days."

Rita put her tongue in her cheek. "But," she started, her skin flushing quickly, "we haven't been married that long. We're still basically newlyweds. We should act like it more often."

"We have an anniversary coming up. Why don't we get someone to watch Susie and take a little vacation. Where do you want to go?"

Her skin flushed entirely red, Rita glanced at the ground. "Doesn't really matter; I-I wouldn't want to be out of the room too much."

There was a light giggling. "Oh Rita," Estelle commented, placing a hand gently on the witch's cheek. "You've really grown up, haven't you?"

Rita stomped a foot. "You shouldn't treat your wife like a kid."

There was rustling behind the door. Estelle gently cracked it open to peek inside. Their daughter had only rolled over, still clutching tight to the bunny.

Estelle sighed. "Can't you take more time off from work? We miss you a lot."

Emerald eyes dropped to the ground. "Things have gotten a little busy; the guild is opening another branch. But I can try."

The witch stepped forward and glanced at her daughter, squeezing tightly onto the stuffed rabbit. Susie called her Miss Rabbit. In honesty, Rita thought it looked a little ragged; there were sections with rough stitching and a few patches sewn on. Otherwise, it looked like a plain and simple brown rabbit.

"Where did you get that, anyway? I figured you would buy her something a little nicer," Rita commented quietly.

She turned and faced her wife, who had an eyebrow raised. "Didn't you get that for her?" the princess questioned.

"No. I thought you did," Rita responded, gently stepping into the room and walking towards her daughter. She bent down and carefully examined the stuffed rabbit; it did at least look familiar.

"It must be from the orphanage," Estelle deduced, walking up behind Rita.

"No, she didn't have it there."

Rita crouched down, reached a hand out, and gently adjusted the sleeping girl's hair. "Where _did_ she get this? It looks a little familiar for some reason; I can't place it though."

"I'm not sure. I've noticed it has a faint but distinct smell. Like… parchment and ink."

Rita leaned in and took a little sniff of the rabbit. "Weird, I don't smell anything."

The princess sat in deep contemplation for a moment, before releasing a chuckle. Disturbed by the noise, Susie curled tightly for a moment. The little girl squeezed her eyes shut but didn't wake up. Rita let out a cute little giggle at the sight of her daughter; the way she slept was very similar to Estelle.

"What's so funny?" Rita finally asked.

"Hmm. Do you know why she loves that stuffed animal so much?"

Rita shook her head. The princess walked over and suddenly took a deep breath just above the witch's head. "Yeah. It's because it smells like you."

Blushing suddenly, Rita lost her balance and plopped onto the ground. "W-what?"

"Yeah. I guess because she misses you, she clings to it."

"N-no way. I m-mean, she likes you way more; why would she do that?" Rita stuttered out, flushed a deep red.

Estelle pursed her lips. "Why would you say that? You're the one who always visited her in the orphanage. Before we adopted her, she spent more time with you."

"Y-yeah but–," Rita took a deep gulp, rising from the ground, "why would it–,"

The witch looked closely at the rabbit, before gently sliding it out of Susie's grasp. She held it up, flipped it around a few times, then let her jaw drop.

"Annie!"

Susie rolled over, but didn't wake up. She curled up into a slightly tighter ball. Estelle just stared at her wife, who was starting to blush more.

"So, it is yours?"

"Uh– well– I," Rita started to stutter.

"Rita, calm down."

"I– yeah, it's mine," she finally choked out, blushing hard, "from when I was a kid." The witch pulled the old stuffed rabbit against her chest. "You know that I grew up alone. I always kept her around with me, so I wasn't lonely."

"How cute."

Rita smiled shyly and squeezed the rabbit a little tighter. "I… I had forgotten about it. She must have found it in my things."

The princess didn't move for a moment. She raised a hand over her mouth and started to mock the other woman. "I'm just glad she found that and not… the other things you used to keep from being lonely. The ones _I _always seem to find."

Rita spun around so she was facing away from her wife. "W-why would you even bring that up?"

"I'm sorry, it came to mind. You need to be more careful with your things," Estelle quickly commented.

"Oh, come on– you know there's three in the nightstand–," the mage started to retort.

Estelle immediately interrupted Rita by tugging on her ear. "Not with Susie in the room."

"You started it!" Rita exclaimed lightly before playfully chopping the top of the princess's head.

She released the ear to nurse the spot that had been struck. She pouted at the witch. Both stood for a moment, before bursting into laughter.

"It's– well– it's been too long," Rita quickly said, still laughing.

"Yeah, things have been getting pretty busy. We really could use this weekend together," Estelle responded. The princess wrapped her arms around Rita's neck and pulled her in for another deep kiss.

"Mom?"

Rita pulled away with a shy smile. "Hi Susie. I got out of work early," she said gently, crouching down and kissing her drowsy daughter on the forehead. The girl sat up and looked around the room. She stared right at Rita.

"Um, c-can I have Miss Rabbit?"

The witch released a slight laugh and handed the stuffed animal to the little girl before gently lifting her up. She sat down and placed her daughter in her lap. Susie blushed as Rita wrapped her arms around her.

"Did you know her first name is Annie?"

The daughter blushed and shook her head. "Annie Rabbit?"

Rita nodded. "Yeah, we've actually been friends for a long time. She used to watch out for me when I was little, and she'll look after you too."

The little girl blushed and smiled shyly. She curled down and snuggled down between it's ears. Rita leaned down and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "I love you, little angel."

Susie leaned back and looked up at her mother. "I love you too, Mom."

Estelle sat on the edge of the bed, leaned over, and kissed Rita's blushing cheek. "I'm going to start dinner, why don't you two play with Annie?"

She received a gentle nod in response. The witch relaxed and let out a contented sigh. When she was young, she had never even imagined what having a family would be like. It was absolutely amazing, and she was glad that this gentle little girl, who was so much like her, would grow up in a loving home.

The witch smiled and started to play with her daughter.


	4. Babysitting! Part 1!

****Author's Note: This chapter focus on Droite and an OC from _Together!_. If you haven't read that, there isn't really a point in reading this chapter. But if you want to anyway, Alyssa is a girl with a dark sense of humor who started dating Droite in the first story.

**Babysitting! Part 1!**

Alyssa stretched her thin arms high into the air as she walked through her neighborhood. The houses were packed in tight, layered heavily. Children ran by playing, and various loud, drunk townspeople wandered in and out of various establishments. She liked the lower quarter; it was lively and exciting.

She had grown up in the noble house of Luscher; things were always stuffy and restrictive. When she was sixteen, she had joined the royal academy in a bid for freedom. Now, she preferred the freedom of lower-class life.

A few drunken ladies busted out of the door of a tavern; Alyssa smiled and waved at them. She hummed to herself as she climbed the steps around the back side of the building. Her home was above a local lesbian tavern.

She opened the door to her home, took a few steps, then froze, completely petrified.

Alyssa wasn't sure why she chose to stay perfectly still; it's not like the little girl would forget she was there. Susie blinked a few times, also sitting perfectly still and staring at the blonde scientist who had just entered the small apartment.

"Droite!?" she called out, not breaking eye contact from the little girl.

The knight wandered into the room, fully armored. Droite's green hair hung down, loose and lightly wavy, with bangs swept across her forehead. On her right shoulder was a single, pink shoulder pad. Her arms were otherwise exposed. The rest of her uniform was a white dress, with a single pink heart embroidered onto her chest.

"Sorry, I have to go back to the castle for a little; one of my ladies messed up some paperwork."

The knight was the captain of Estelle's all-female royal guard, responsible for the safety of her and her family. Droite liked the power and pay-grade, but hated the uniform that Estelle had chosen. Just as she bolted by, Alyssa reached a hand up and snatched her ear.

"Um– _dear_, why is Estelle's daughter here?"

The knight rubbed the back of her head and gave a sheepish grin. Alyssa squeezed a little tighter, forcing a wince and a shudder from the other girl. The scientist grew concerned at the other girl's overly excited face– there was a child watching.

"I may have told Estelle that we'd watch her over the weekend."

Alyssa released the knight's ear. "The whole weekend?" she questioned, glancing over at the confused little girl.

"Yeah, did I forget to tell you?"

"I certainly haven't heard anything about this," Alyssa responded, her eyes squinting in anger.

"I guess you're going to have to punish me later?"

The researcher reached out and pulled Droite's ear up to her. "Cut it out! Not in front of that kid, alright?" she whispered, releasing her again.

Droite nodded sheepishly, then reached down and lifted up Alyssa's left hand. She kissed the silver band that wrapped around the scientist's ring finger. "Sorry, I'll be back soon, just play with her or something," the green-haired girl suggested.

Alyssa nodded awkwardly as her wife left the room. The blonde glanced back to the little girl, who continued to sit and stare.

There home was small; a little two bedroom apartment above her favorite tavern. It was a little rundown, but still warm and cozy. Their main room had a small kitchen along the wall and a little wooden table. Tucked in the corner was a big comfy sofa and a chair; the same one that used to sit in the lab. Their cluttered little bedroom laid just beyond it; Alyssa hoped that Droite had remembered to lock all the drawers on their nightstand. The other side had a little home office.

It wasn't the nicest place; there weren't a ton of places that were welcoming for lesbian couples, even if one was a knight captain and the other ran the imperial laboratories. But she was still happy to live in married bliss with her wife.

There were a lot of people who came out and got married after Estelle and Rita, but Zaphias still wasn't the kindest place to them. Alyssa knew that Estelle was working hard at protecting their rights; there were even a few cases of the council trying to take away property from newly married couples. In the end, most gay couples ended up having to live near already established taverns or in the campus of Advancing Dawn's University, which thanks to Rita was fully accepting.

Alyssa released a sigh and sat down on their couch, directly across from Susie. The little girl just stared at her silently, gripping tight onto her stuffed rabbit.

"So, um," Alyssa started, "is there anything you want to do?"

The little girl jumped and little shook her head quickly, nervously blushing. Alyssa just continued to awkwardly stare at her.

"Uh, alright," she eventually responded. The scientist raised her hand up and began to bite at her thumbnail.

"My mommy says biting my nails is bad."

Alyssa glanced down into the little girl's serious expression.

"Really? Did you know that the nerve that controls your heart rate can be disrupted by breathing on your thumb. It's a trick that can help in awkward or uncomfortable situations–," the blonde started to respond.

"I– I don't know what any of that means," the little girl interrupted, nuzzling her face against the rabbit.

Alyssa released an uncomfortable chuckle, then started to rub at the back of her neck. After a few seconds, she started to nervously bite at her thumbnail again. The two sat in an awkward and nervous silence. Eventually Alyssa began to tap her foot against the ground. It was almost thirty minutes before Alyssa tried to speak again.

"Um, do you want anything to drink?"

Susie rapidly shook her head again, blushing.

Alyssa rolled her blue eyes at the sight; she realized that she was dealing with a tiny Rita. "So, um, what's with the rabbit?"

Little turquoise eyes met hers. "Um, she's Annie Rabbit."

"Uh– cute name. Did you come up with it?"

"No um, my mom did."

"Oh, so Estelle–,"

"No, Rita."

Alyssa covered her mouth to keep her laughter from bursting from her mouth. "Really? When was this?"

"When she was little. She told me Miss Rabbit used to protect her, now she's here to protect me!"

Her sinister laugh echoed forth. Alyssa slapped at her thigh, trying to contain the laughter. "That's too much!" she choked out through laughter. She kept imagining the serious, confident researcher clutching the rabbit like a safety blanket.

Susie just stared at her confused. Eventually the scientist calmed down, wiping a little tear from her eye. "That– thanks Susie. Uh– why don't you tell me more about your mom?"

The little girl finally looked a little confident, nodding seriously. "I love Mom. She's really nice."

"Yeah?"

"She didn't before, but now she hugs me all the time, and kisses my forehead."

Alyssa held in another snicker.

"Oh, oh, oh, and she always calls me her little angel."

Another round of raucous laughter started. This time, the door swung open in the middle of it. Droite stepped into the room, raising an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?" she questioned, unfastening the plates on her armor.

"Oh, Susie here was just telling me about Rita. Like how she hugs and kisses her; and how she calls Susie 'her little angel.'"

Gauche lifted Susie up; the little girl immediately clung around her neck. "How sweet. Do you like your Mom?"

Susie smiled brightly and nodded. "Mhm, auntie Droite. I love her!"

"How nice," Droite responded, sitting down in the chair.

The little girl was more comfortable with Droite– they actually spent a fair amount of time together because the knight had to escort Estelle. Alyssa just stared at her wife, gently holding the little girl with a smile.

"Really?" Alyssa questioned from across from her. "You don't think that's hilarious?"

Droite scowled a little. "Of course not. It seems like Rita is a pretty good mother."

"I– yeah, I guess," Alyssa responded, crossing her arms. When she glanced back over, she saw the little girl starting to nod off. Droite gently cupped the back of her head and stood up.

"Where's she sleeping anyway?"

With a gentle smile, Droite gently rocked the girl. "In the bed with me; Estelle said she might have nightmares."

"Can we really all fit–,"

"I think it's best if you sleep on the couch," Droite interrupted with a scowl.

"What?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Droite glared at her. "What do you think you're laughing at? That she has a loving mother?"

"Well– I–,"

"Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow."

Alyssa watched as her wife stormed out of the room. The blonde collapsed down onto the couch, rolling over onto her back. Droite hadn't mentioned it, but Alyssa knew that her wife wanted to adopt a child. But the prospect of becoming a mother was absolutely terrifying to the scientist. She had no idea how to interact with children, let alone raise one.

She closed her eyes, attempting to find sleep while thinking of a way to tell Droite.


End file.
